Mel Whitten, 79, holds the checkered flag after a recent victory at Thunderbird Raceway. (Photo Special to The Chronicle/Bob Deephouse)

It is hard to imagine Mel Whitten being scared of anything.

At the age of 79, he still works full time and looks half his age.

But, at one time, he wanted no part of becoming a dirt track racer.

“Some friends of mine built a race car, but they moved to Tennessee,” Whitten said. “They had nobody to drive the car they built, so I said I would. I was scared to death. My legs got jumpy the first time I sat in the car.”

That was in 1959. He quickly overcame any fears he had and today he is the leading Thunderstock Class driver at Thunderbird Raceway.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to drive the car,” Whitten said. “But after that first time, I got more comfortable and, I was like, I really like this.”

Whitten was hooked after that first time in the car, racing at what used to be Birchwood Raceway before it became Thunderbird.

“When I first started racing, I wore a football helmet and we had no shoulder harnesses,” Whitten said. “It was a lot different than what it is now.”

Dirt track racing might have changed since Whitten was introduced to the sport, but that has not changed the veteran driver.

Whitten is having his best year ever, having won six feature races already this season.

“I have been very fortunate this season,” Whitten said. “I have a good car and, in the class I am, they are clean drivers and it’s fun to run with them every week. We all race clean.”

Currently, Whitten leads the Thunderstock point standings by 73 points over Phil Herrick.

“There are a lot of good racers I am running against,” Whittten said. “It is going to be tough to win the points championship.”

In the beginning

In 1959, racing or building a race car was pretty elementary, according to Whitten.

“It’s not like it is today,” Whitten said. “That first car we bought was a 4-door sedan and we bought the engine out of someone’s backyard.”

It was in those early days that Whitten experienced his most harrowing situation on the race track.

“One of the first races I ran, I rolled over once,” Whitten said. “Back then, they told you not to get out out of the car, but I did. Somebody hit my car after I got out. That is the closest I have been to getting hurt. I was glad I got out because somebody hit my car after that.”

“Back then it was different. Guys would put together a car and go out and race. Today, it’s so much different. It takes lots of money to race a car and it was not like that when I started.”

Today, Whitten runs with a .355 motor under the hood — a big difference from his early days.

“I have had a lot of help with this car,” Whitten said. “It’s so much different today than what it was years ago.”

Family affair

For Whitten, who owns Whitten Storage and Pulpwood and Forestry Products in Muskegon, it is all about family.

His son Randy, with the help of a couple of his friends, built Whitten’s current car.

“My son Randy and a couple of friends helped build my car,” Whitten said. “I am a one-man pit crew, but Randy and his friends really do everything for me.”

Randy, 49, also is a racer, who races Modifieds at Thunderbird.

“It is great to watch him still race and leading the points this year,” Randy Whitten said. “For someone his age and to run as smooth as he does. It’s amazing. He is the reason I got into racing.”

Whitten, who has three other children — Mel (57), Lani (54) and Cody (30) — has become a racing mentor to not only Randy but his son-in-law Ray Geeting as well.

“I am a drag racing guy really, but Mel has talked me into dirt track racing,” Geeting said. “We are all excited for him this year and what he is doing.”

Whitten has made racing a true family affair by putting a second seat in his race car, allowing family members and others to ride with him.

One of those passengers was his daughter Lani, who rode along with her dad earlier this season.

“My dad has been after me to ride with him for a long time,” Lani Geeting said. “I never wanted to do it, but I did this year and he won the race when I was in the car. I didn’t want to do it, but I am glad I did.”

Whitten has passengers lined up for the next several weeks, but that won’t deter him from his main goal this year.

“I definitely want to win the point championship,” Whitten said. “I am not sure if I would retire if I won it or try a different class. All I know is I am enjoying this year and I still enjoy racing. We will see what happens after this year.”